Strategy Analytics Press Releases

By logging in you are giving Strategy Analytics permission to use Cookies to identify you, give you access to your account information and to ensure you are not asked to register again. Full details of our use of cookies can be found in our Strategy Analytics Cookie Policy.

Sign up

Please sign up to gain immediate access to premium and complimentary market research and analysis, to receive a regular research newsletter and invites to both webinars and events.

Strategy Analytics on VR: Future Headsets Must be Wireless and Modular

by
Chris Schreiner, Diane O'Neill | Mar 30, 2017

Boston, MA – March 30, 2017 – Providing the avenue by which users can ‘escape’ reality, virtual reality (VR) provides the means to complete tasks, gain new experiences and preview new environments otherwise unachievable due to cost, safety, or physical capability in real life. But what of the overall style of the headset which allows users to achieve this escapism? A recent study from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) service at Strategy Analytics, “UXS Technology Planning Report: Virtual Reality”, surveying the needs, behaviors and expectations of future VR users, has found that the two most desirable design trends for future VR headsets are for them to be wireless and modular.

Current VR systems available are either mobile device- or PC/console-based. Mobile device based VR headsets offer an easy low-cost option, but performance is inferior to PC/Console based VR headsets. Battery consumption and device heating also restrict its use. In comparison, PC/console based VR provides greater processing power, and is highly modular with the addition of accessories. However, the high cost to build up a PC/console-based system, in addition to its lengthier set up, non-portability and wired connections, does limit its usability and consequently consumer uptake.

Mathew Alton, Research Analyst and report author commented, “There is a third option for VR headsets – standalone systems – and these would provide a solution to these issues. While not yet commercially available, being wireless, offering potentially greater performance than mobile based solutions and being quick to set up, many of the compromises made through PC/Console based VR would be minimized.”

Continued Alton, “However, its cost, the weight of the headset (due to built-in chips and display) and battery life, are the major limitations to this solution at this time.”